FAQ

Watching Shakespeare without dialog isn't as challenging as you might
think. Indeed, this 1912 film manages to condense the play neatly and
still retains much of the power of the piece without hearing - or even
reading - the words. Much of the success of "Richard III" is due to the
vivid characterization by Frederick Warde, but his costars are
excellent too. The direction is basic, of course, and every so often
director-star James Keane wastes precious time (what's up with that
long semi-tracking shot of the ship?), but generally his work is more
than adequate. Comparing Keane's work here to the pioneering 1911
Italian feature "L'Inferno", it's clear that the American did have
knowledge of what was going on elsewhere, even if he (of course) fell
far short of what D.W. Griffith was already doing. Overall, "Richard
III" will be of considerable interest to silent-film fans as well as
stage performers interested in viewing the work of 19th century master
Warde. Otherwise, I doubt this movie will thrill many other viewers.
But I could be wrong; check it out for yourself.

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